Capsule for preparing a beverage, made of an aluminium alloy

ABSTRACT

A capsule (1) designated for preparing a beverage upon injection of liquid into the capsule by means of a beverage machine, comprises a cup-shaped body (10) and a closing lid (11) through which the beverage is to be dispensed, said closing lid (11) being sealed on said body (10) and defining therebetween an inner volume for holding beverage preparation ingredients, such as ground coffee. The capsule (1) is made of an aluminium alloy of the series 3xxx, and preferably of the aluminium alloy 3004 or 3104. Use for improving the sustainability of the capsules for beverage preparation.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a capsule comprising a food product such as abeverage preparation ingredient for the preparation of beverages. Inparticular, the invention concerns a capsule made from metallic materialsuch as aluminium. More particularly, the invention concerns single-usecapsule made from metallic material such as aluminium.

The invention also related to the use of a capsule made from a specificmetallic aluminium material for improving the sustainability ofsingle-use capsules for beverage preparation

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is known to prepare beverage, and notably coffee drinks by using acapsule containing coffee in a dispensing beverage machine. The capsulehas an inner volume in which ground coffee is stored and in which abeverage or drink is produced when water is introduced inside.

Such a capsule, designated for preparing a beverage upon injection ofliquid into the capsule, comprises a cup-shaped body and a closing lidthrough which the beverage is to be dispensed.

The closing lid is sealed on the body for defining therebetween theinner volume for holding beverage preparation ingredients, such asground coffee.

Capsules for preparation of a food product such as a beverage are widelyknown in the market. Often, these capsules are single-use and are madeof aluminium. Most specifically, these capsules are up to now made of analuminium alloy, itself made from mostly primary (virgin) aluminium, towhich a small percentage of alloying elements is added.

The manufacturing process of aluminium capsules uses flat, lacquered,aluminium foil, which is formed into the shape of a capsule using a deepdrawing process. This manufacturing process is well-known to the skilledperson.

Even if several types of aluminium capsules exist on the market, thesecapsules, beside the difference in shape, all make use of a specificaluminium grade, alloy 8011A, as defined in the standards DIN EN602:2004 and DIN EN 573-3:2013.

This specific aluminium alloy allows good performances of formability(easy forming of the capsule during the manufacturing process). It isalso adequate regarding perforability (easy perforation of the capsule)of the capsule in the dispensing beverage machine for injecting a liquidinto the capsule.

Alloy 8011A is a quite pure aluminium alloy, with low amount of alloyingelements. Producing such aluminium alloy using recycled post-consumerscrap sources is rather difficult, making in turn rather difficult toproduce aluminium capsules using such recycled sources.

In most cases, the collected capsules after use are merged with otherless pure aluminium scrap, and therefore recycled aluminium for alloy8011A for manufacturing capsules is practically not available in themarket.

Indeed, as soon as a mix of alloys happens, the resulting material cannot anymore, in practical terms, be reconverted into a purer aluminiumalloy such as 8011A which is currently needed for the capsulemanufacturing.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide animproved capsule which overcomes the disadvantages of the prior artsolutions.

More specifically, the present invention aims to provide a capsule in aneco-responsible and sustainability approach, by limiting the quantity ofmaterial used for manufacturing such capsules.

This object is solved by the independent claim. The dependent claimsdefine further preferred embodiments of the invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention concerns a capsule designated for preparing a beverageupon injection of liquid into the capsule by means of a beveragemachine, the capsule comprising a cup-shaped body and a closing lidthrough which the beverage is to be dispensed, said closing lid beingsealed on said body and defining therebetween an inner volume forholding beverage preparation ingredients, such as ground coffee.

The proposed capsule is made of an aluminium alloy of the series 3xxx,and preferably of the aluminium alloy 3004 or 3104.

Thus, by shifting from the current aluminium alloy 8011A to an aluminiumalloy of the series 3xxx, the manufacturing of the capsules uses analuminium alloy which is widely used worldwide, notably the alloy 3104used for beverage cans.

Due to this change of materials, one makes use of the huge market ofrecycled aluminium, notably from beverage cans, for the production ofbeverage capsules.

Another benefit will be as well to possibly recycle the aluminiumrecovered from used capsules in the same recycling stream of beveragecans and to make use of the existing widespread collecting system ofaluminium cans.

The existing collecting system and recycling of aluminium may beperformed provided the capsule content (beverage ingredients) isseparated from the capsule body.

All these benefits would improve the sustainability of the aluminiumcapsule, by reducing its environmental impact.

In practice, the body of the capsule is provided with a sidewall and abottom through which liquid is to be introduced.

Preferably, the thickness of the aluminium alloy in the bottom and thesidewall of the body is comprised between 50 to 100 micrometres, andpreferably between 60 and 90 micrometres.

In an advantageous way, the thickness of the aluminium alloy iscomprised between 90 and 100 micrometres.

Due to the higher strength of the aluminium alloy of the series 3xxx, itis possible to downgauge the aluminium from the current thickness of thebody of the capsule, around 100 micrometres, to a lower thickness, lessthan 95 micrometres, and preferably less than 90 micrometres.

Therefore, it is possible to use lower aluminium gauge by keeping thesame or better performances in the beverage machine, with lessdeformation of the body or the bottom of the capsule, and during producttransport by reducing damage during transport (like marks and indents).

This reduces the aluminium material consumption, the costs and theenvironmental impact of the capsules.

In practice, the thickness of the closing lid is comprised between 20and 60 micrometres.

Another benefit of the increased strength is that when downgauging thealuminium, it is not necessary to add corrugations or ribs to the bodyof the capsule to achieve enough stiffness in the capsule.

Even without corrugations or ribs, the capsule has sufficient stiffnessto resist to the extraction process during operation of the beverage inthe dispensing beverage machine, and to avoid damages during transportand distribution of finished goods.

In one embodiment, the shape of the body is frustoconical, with aninclined sidewall and a bottom dome-shaped. In the proposed embodiment,the current iconic design of the Nespresso® capsule may be kept.

In one embodiment, the body comprises a flange, the closing lid beingsealed on said flange.

Preferably, the closing lid is flat.

A well-known frustoconical design of the capsule, without ribs orcorrugations on the body, may be thus kept.

In one embodiment, the flange comprises sealing means.

In a further embodiments, the sealing means are formed integrally withthe flange.

In practice, the body of the capsule is made from a unique foil ofaluminium alloy, for example by stamping or drawing.

Preferably, the capsule is made of a recycled aluminium alloy.

Thus, not only the aluminium alloy used for manufacturing the capsule isrecyclable but also the capsules may be manufactured from recycledaluminium alloy.

The sustainability of the global system of preparation of beverages fromcapsules, and notably coffee drinks, is improved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Additional features and advantages of the present invention aredescribed in, and will be apparent from, the description of thepresently preferred embodiments which are set out below with referenceto the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective side view of a capsule according to a firstembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of a capsule according to a second embodiment ofthe invention; and

FIGS. 3A and 3B are a partial enlarged sectional side views of thecapsule according to FIG. 2 , cooperating with an engagement member of abeverage preparation machine, before and after engaging with each other.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the following detailed description, reference is made to theaccompanying drawings. However, the illustrative embodiments describedin the detailed description and drawings are not meant to be limiting.Other embodiments may be utilized and other changes may be made, withoutdeparting from the scope of the claimed subject-matter presented here.

It will be readily understood that the aspects of the presentdisclosure, as generally described herein, and illustrated in thefigures may be arranged, substituted, combined and designated in a widevariety of different configurations, all of which are explicitlycontemplated and make part of this disclosure.

In the drawings, similar symbols and references typically identifysimilar components, unless context dictates otherwise.

As used in this specification, the words “comprises”, “comprising” andsimilar words are not to be interpreted in an exclusive or exhaustivesense. In other words, they are intended to mean including but notlimited to.

FIG. 1 illustrates a capsule 1 according to a first embodiment of theinvention.

The capsule 1 comprises a cup-shaped body 10 and a closing lid 11.

The closing lid 11 is sealed on the body 10 so that the capsule isperfectly closed.

The body 10 and the closing lid 11 form an inner volume in which abeverage preparation ingredient, in particular coffee, is stored.

The body 10 has a three-dimensional shape. Three-dimensional shape shallmean that the body is “formed” or in other words that the body is notflat. The body 10 has a frustoconical shape extending around a verticalrevolution axis Y. The body 10 has a bottom 101 and a sidewall 102. Thesidewall 102 is slightly inclined with respect to the verticalrevolution axis Y. The inclination angle is inferior to 45° andpreferably inferior to 30°.

Finally, the capsule presented in FIG. 1 has a frustoconical shape andpresents the iconic Nespresso® capsule design.

In another embodiment, the sidewall 102 can extend substantiallyperpendicularly to the bottom 101.

Here, the bottom 101 is dome-shaped. Of course, the bottom 101 could beflat.

As known, the bottom 101 may serve as an injection face during abeverage preparation process, which may be opened by dedicated injectionmembers (knives, needles) of a beverage preparation machine.

The body 10 comprises a peripheral edge surrounding the sidewall 102 andforming a flange 103.

The closing lid 11 is flat. In other words, the closing lid 11 extendssubstantially in one plane. The closing lid 11 is sealed on the flange103, at the end opposite to the bottom 101.

The closing lid 11 fits closely the body 10 so that a perfect sealing ofthe capsule 1 is ensured. The capsule 1 is impermeable to liquids andmoisture. Preferably, the capsule 1 is also impermeable to gas.

The bonding of the body 10 and the closing lid 11 can be obtained, butnot limited to, by heat sealing or ultra-sonic sealing.

Moreover, in order to obtain an effective fluid tightness between thecapsule 1 and the beverage preparation machine during extraction of thebeverage, it is known to provide the flange 103, on the face opposite tothe closing lid, with sealing means.

In the embodiment of FIG. 1 , the flange 103 is provided with aperipheral seal (not represented) located between the sidewall 102 andthe flange 103.

The peripheral seal is in the form of a polymeric seal such as a rubberor silicone ring.

FIGS. 2, 3A and 3B illustrate a capsule according to another embodimentof the invention.

Comparing to the first embodiment described hereunder, in this secondembodiment, the capsule 1 is provided with an enhanced integrally formedsealing member, avoiding the use of a rubber or silicone seal on theflange 103.

As for the first embodiment, the capsule 1 comprises a cup-shaped body10. The body 10 comprises a bottom 101 and a sidewall 102.

As shown on FIG. 2 , the capsule 1 further comprises a flange 103, whichis preferably arranged at an open end of the body 10, opposite to thebottom 101. The flange 103 extends radially outwardly from the sidewall102 of the body 10. The flange 103 is preferably arranged transversallyto the vertical rotational axis Y of the capsule 1 and presents a curledouter edge 103 c at its extremity opposite the body 10.

At the open end of the capsule body 10, a closing lid 11 may bearranged. The closing lid 11 is preferably connected to the flange 103.As presented in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the closing lid 11 is preferablyconnected to at least one lower annular surface 103 b of the flange 103,which surface 103 b is directed away from the capsule body 10.

Alternatively, the closing lid 11 may be connected to the body 10 or toboth the body 10 and the flange 103.

The flange 103 comprises an integrally formed sealing member 104 whichis arranged at an upper annular surface 103 a of the flange 103. Theannular surface 103 a is arranged opposite to the surface 103 b to whichthe closing lid 11 is connected. The annular surface 103 a is thusfacing away from the open end of the body 10 of the capsule 1.

The sealing member 104 is positioned between the capsule body 10 and theflange 103. It comprises a dedicated surface 104 located at the junctionbetween the sidewall 102 of the body 10 and the flange 103.

In this embodiment, the dedicated surface 104 comprises a step 104 aextending from the sidewall 102 over the flange 103, the step 104 abeing substantially parallel to the flange direction. The step 104 a isintegrally formed with the flange 103 and the body 10. This means thatit is formed of same material as the flange-like rim 103 and as the body10.

In this embodiment, the cup-shaped body 10, the flange 103 and thesealing member 104 are integrally formed, i.e. by one single piece madefrom the same material. Accordingly, the cup-shaped body 10, the flange103 and the sealing member 104 can be manufactured from the samematerial by a conventional forming process. In particular, the body 10,the flange 103 and the integrally formed sealing member 104 can beformed in a deep-drawing process. The deep drawing process may requiremore than one deep drawing step to properly form from a flat piece ofmaterial, preferably a metal sheet, the body of the capsule and thesealing member.

As can be seen in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the step 104 a is arranged to engagewith a sealing surface 21 a of a capsule engagement member 21 of thebeverage preparation machine (the whole machine is not represented, onlya part of the engagement 21 being visible in FIGS. 3A and 3B).

As known, a beverage preparation machine is designed to provide heatedand/or pressurized liquid into the capsule for preparing a beverage uponinteraction of the liquid with the ingredients held within the capsule.

The beverage preparation machine preferably comprises a pump, heatingand/or cooling means, a liquid supply such as a water tank and/or abeverage brewing chamber for selectively receiving a capsule in order toprepare a beverage therefrom.

The brewing chamber comprises a capsule engagement member which isdesigned to house a capsule and in particular the capsule body when thecapsule if provided/introduced into the machine.

During the extraction process, the engagement member 21 of the beveragepreparation machine, as presented in FIGS. 3A and 3 b, is engaged withthe capsule 1. The engagement member 21 preferably comprises anessentially hollow bell-shaped engagement member for receiving thecapsule body 10 therein. When the capsule 1 is placed into the beveragepreparation machine, the engagement member 21 will be lowered onto thecapsule 1 by means of a dedicated closing force.

The engagement member 21 comprises a sealing profile presenting severalsealing surfaces 21 a, 21 b and 21 c. The sealing surfaces are locatedon an inner part of the engagement member 21, on a portion of theengagement member 21 that comes into contact with the capsule 1. Thesealing surfaces, for example, may be in the form of an annular lowersurface with rounded inner and outer circumferential edges, a flatsurface that in use is parallel to the sidewall 102 of the capsule 1.

FIGS. 3A and 3B present partial enlarged sectional side views of theembodiment of the sealing member 104 and the engagement member 21 of abeverage preparation machine before and during engagement with eachother.

Particularly, when the engagement member 21 is lowered from the positionshown in FIG. 3A onto the sealing member 104 by closing force, anannular sealing surface 21 a engages with step 104 a.

As a results of the force applied on the sealing member 104 in theoverlap region between the engagement member 21 and the sealing member104, the step 104 a of the sealing member 104 undergoes a plasticallydeformation during said engagement.

The plastic deformation is due to the force that is applied:

-   -   by the clamping system when the coffee machine is closed through        the engagement member 21; and    -   during the extraction process by the water pressure through the        engagement member 21 on the capsule.

The step 104 a then closely conforms with the sealing surfaces 21 a, 21b, 21 c of the engagement member 21 so that during the extractionprocess, the surface of the flange 103 conforms with the shape of thesealing profile (with sealing surfaces 21 a, 21 b and 21 c) on theoverlap portion.

FIG. 3B shows this close conformation between the sealing surfaces 21 a,21 b, 21 c and the flange 103 occurred during use, where the step 104 aand the flange 103 are deformed leading to a structure conforming thesealing member 21.

This structure conforming the sealing member 21 produces an effectivefluid tightness between the capsule 1 and the beverage preparationmachine.

Because of the deformed flange 103 conforming with the shapecorresponding to the sealing surfaces 21 a, 21 b, 21 c, the sealingbetween the capsule flange 103 and the engagement member 21 isincreased.

Thus, when used in the beverage preparation machine, the sealing member104 is plastically deformed such that the capsule 1 comprises a flange103 having a new profile corresponding to the shape of the sealingprofile of the capsule engagement member 21. The new profile produces aneffective tightness between the flange 103 and the sealing member of theengagement member 21.

The capsule according to this second embodiment enables an efficient,reliable and tolerant sealing structure made from a single integralpiece and thus by omitting any additional material such as rubber.

Of course, other embodiments of capsule could be contemplated.

The system to which such a capsule and the beverage preparation machineare integrated in, is operated as follows for the preparation of a cupof a beverage, for example, a coffee. The capsule 1 is placed in thebeverage preparation machine and the capsule engaging member 21 isbrought into contact with the capsule 1 when the beverage preparationmachine is closed. The capsule is pierced on its bottom 101 by piercingmeans (injection needles or blades or knives, not represented) forcreating the entrance of a fluid such as water (hot or cold) underpressure into the capsule 1 through the bottom 101. The water wets thecoffee stored inside the capsule and extracts the desired substance toform the coffee beverage.

During the supply of the water under pressure to the capsule, the risein pressure causes the closing lid 11 to rupture (through pressing ofthe closing lid 11 on some cover piercing means, for example) and thecoffee beverage is delivered by drainage of the coffee beverage from thecapsule to a cup. The beverage is thus dispensed through the closing lid11.

The beverage preparation ingredients provided in the capsule arepreferably chosen from the group consisting of roasted ground coffee,tea, instant coffee, a mixture of roasted ground coffee and instantcoffee, a syrup concentrate, a fruit extract concentrate, a chocolateproduct, a milk-based product or any other dehydrated edible substance,such as dehydrated stock. The liquid to be used for beverage preparationis preferably water of any temperature.

The invention seeks to provide a capsule for a beverage ingredient asdescribed above, which is recyclable and which can be made from arecycled material.

Thus, the capsule is made of an aluminium alloy of the series 3xxxaccording to the standard DIN EN 573-3.

Preferably, the whole capsule, that is the body 10 and the closing lid11, is made of the aluminium alloy 3004 or 3104.

For example, the body 10 is made from a unique foil of aluminium alloyand the closing lid 11 is made from the same material as the one usedfor producing the body 10 of the capsule 1.

According to the standard DIN EN 573-3, the aluminium alloy of theseries 3xxx is an alloy having manganese as main alloying element.

Preferably, the capsule is made of the aluminium alloy 3104, widely usedfor manufacturing the beverage cans.

Aluminium alloy 3104 is used for the bodies of beverage cans, for beerand soft drinks for example.

Thanks to the use of common aluminium alloy, as for beverage cans,sourcing of recycled aluminium for capsule production is possible.

Thus, the capsule (body and closing lid) can be made from a recycledaluminium alloy.

Moreover, it also allows recycling of the aluminium from used capsule inthe same stream as the one used for beverage cans.

Thus the capsules after use can be collected through the same collectingsystem of metal products and be sorted and recycled in the same way asthe one performed for the beverage cans, provided that the beverageingredients (coffee for example) are first separated from the capsules.

Moreover, the aluminium alloy 3104 has a higher strength than the alloy8011A.

Thus, it is possible to decrease the thickness of the aluminium alloyused for producing the capsule, below an usual thickness of 100micrometres of a standard capsule made in the alloy 8011A.

Even with this downgauging, the capsule has enough stiffness to havegood mechanical performances during use in a beverage preparationmachine and as well during the transportation and distribution of thecapsules.

For this last concern, comparative tests have been performed in order tovalidate the product resistance during the transport.

The resistance of the capsules may be tested for transportation both ina single packaging unit corresponding to a consumer unit (for example asleeve with 10 capsules aligned) and in a grouping box comprisingseveral single packaging units, for transportation on a pallet forexample.

One common test is for example a drop-test simulating a postaltransport. The drop-test consists in making the single packaging unitfall several times, from a predetermined height and according todifferent orientations and in inspecting for damages the shape of thecapsules after the fall.

The predetermined height may be comprised between 600 and 800 mm forexample.

A comparative drop-test with standard capsules and new capsules has beenperformed as follows:

Standard capsules: in aluminium alloy 8011A with a thickness of 100micrometres.

New capsules: in aluminium alloy 3104 with a thickness of 90micrometres.

One sleeve with 10 standard capsules and one sleeve with 10 new capsuleshave been dropped 7 times, with a drop-height of 610 mm, without openingor modifying the sleeves between the series of the 7 drops.

For each drop, different orientations of the sleeve are chosen: aspecific face (lateral face of the sleeve, end face of the sleeve), or aspecific corner or a specific edge is oriented face to the ground beforedropping the sleeve on the ground from the predetermined height.

The same serie of drops has been performed for the sleeve with 10standard capsules and the sleeve with 10 new capsules.

After the series of drops, the capsules are removed from each sleeve andverified for damages in the bottom and the sidewall of each capsule.

Damages may be divided into 3 categories:

-   -   No damage    -   Low damage (a deformation less than 3 mm)    -   High damage (a deformation superior than 3 mm)

The results are as follows:

Damage in capsule bottom Damage in capsule wall No Low High No Low HighStandard 1 7 2 0 0 10 capsules New capsules 2 6 2 1 4 5

Thus, notably regarding damages in the capsule wall, new capsules inaluminium alloy 3104, even with a thickness limited to 90 micrometres,are less susceptible to transport damages in the sleeves than thestandard capsules in aluminium alloy 8011A, with a thickness of 100micrometres.

Preferably, the thickness of the aluminium alloy in the sidewall 102 andthe bottom 101 of the body 10 of the capsule 1 may be comprised between50 to 95 micrometres, and preferably between 60 and 90 micrometres.

Most preferably, the aluminium alloy has a thickness between 90 and 100micrometres.

Moreover, the aluminium alloy is covered by lacquers, which form anexternal layer on the body of the capsule. The thickness of the lacquersis comprised between 5 and 15 micrometres.

The closing lid 11 is also made in aluminium alloy 3104 and comprises athickness between 20 to 60 micrometres.

Moreover, the mechanical performances of the new capsules duringextraction in the beverage preparation machine are the same or evenbetter than for the standard capsules made in aluminium alloy 8011A.

Due to the increased stiffness, the new capsules need more force to beplastically deformed as the standard one made in aluminium alloy 8011A.

We give hereunder a comparative example of the compressive forcerequired for deforming the capsule bottom.

Compressive force needed to plastically deform Capsule the capsulebottom (Newton) Standard capsule 32N made from aluminium alloy 8011A.New capsule 57N made from aluminum alloy 3104

As a consequence, when the bottom of the new capsule is pierced by theknives of the beverage machine, the deformation of the bottom around theholes created by the knives is reduced compared to the standard capsule.

Other things being equal, the capsule height is then maintained and theknives may be introduced more deeply through the bottom into thecapsule: the holes pierced by the knives may be larger, promoting theintroduction of water into the capsule during the extraction of thebeverage.

Thus, the use of aluminium alloy of the series 3xxx, such as 3004 or3014, allows maintaining the capsule stiffness, and thus the capsuleshape and design even after downgauging, without a need to introducecorrugations on the capsule surface.

The capsule may keep a frustoconical shape, with a bottom dome-shapedand inclined smooth sidewall, without corrugations or ribs.

Thus, the current image and design of the capsule can be maintainedunchanged, without ribs or corrugations on the body sidewall or thebottom.

It should be understood that various changes and modifications to thepresently preferred embodiments described herein will be apparent tothose skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications can be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention andwithout diminishing its attendant advantages. It is therefore intendedthat such changes and modifications be covered by the appended claims.

1. A capsule designated for preparing a beverage upon injection ofliquid into the capsule by means of a beverage machine, the capsulecomprising a cup-shaped body and a closing lid through which thebeverage is to be dispensed, the closing lid being sealed on the bodyand defining therebetween an inner volume for holding beveragepreparation ingredients, such as ground coffee, characterized in thatthe capsule is made of an aluminium alloy of the series 3xxx.
 2. Acapsule according to claim 1, wherein the body of the capsule isprovided with a sidewall and a bottom through which liquid is to beintroduced, the thickness of the aluminium alloy in the bottom and thesidewall of the body being comprised between 50 to 100 micrometres.
 3. Acapsule according to claim 2, wherein the thickness of the aluminiumalloy is comprised between 90 and 100 micrometres.
 4. A capsuleaccording to claim 1, wherein the thickness of the closing lid iscomprised between 20 and 60 micrometres.
 5. A capsule according to claim1, wherein the shape of the body is frustoconical, with an inclinedsidewall and a bottom dome-shaped.
 6. A capsule according to claim 1,wherein the body comprises a flange, the closing lid being sealed on theflange.
 7. A capsule according to claim 6, wherein the flange comprisessealing means.
 8. A capsule according to claim 6, wherein the sealingmeans are made of a peripheral seal in the form of a polymeric seallocated between the sidewall and the flange.
 9. A capsule according toclaim 6, wherein the flange comprises integrally formed sealing means.10. A capsule according to claim 1, wherein the closing lid is flat. 11.A capsule according to claim 1, wherein the body is made from a uniquefoil of aluminium alloy.
 12. A capsule according to claim 1, wherein thecapsule is made of a recycled aluminium alloy.
 13. (canceled)